The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for removing substances from a surface and in particular to a blade cleaning device for use in an image forming device such as an electrostatic copying machine.
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In an electrophotographic process, such as xerography, an optical device oscillates a light pattern along a charged photosensitive surface to form a latent image corresponding to an electrical or optical input. The resulting pattern of charged and discharged areas on the surface forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original image. Developing devices of the electrostatic copying machine develop the latent image using yellow, magenta, cyan, and/or black developing toners. The developing toners are composed of electrostatically attractable powder and are attracted to the latent image areas formed on the charged photosensitive surface. The developed image is then transferred to a predetermined image medium, e.g., paper, to produce a reproduction and a permanent record of the original image.
When the developed image is transferred onto a paper, a majority of developed toner is transferred to the paper. However, some residual toner remains on the charged photosensitive surface because of the relatively high electrostatic and/or mechanical forces between the electrostatically attracted toner and the charged photosensitive surface. Further, other unwanted substances, e.g., paper fibers, Kaolin, debris, etc., are attracted to the charged photosensitive surface and remain on the charged photosensitive surface. Because the residual toner and unwanted substances left on the charged photosensitive surface will degrade the quality of the reproduced image, it is essential to remove the residual toner and unwanted substances from the charged photosensitive surface during each image development process.
Blade cleaning has been used in cleaning dry toner printer, and is a highly desirable method for removing the residual toner and unwanted substances because it is simple and inexpensive compared to the various known fiber or magnetic brush cleaners. A blade cleaning device comprises a is relatively thin elastomeric cleaning blade member which is provided and supported adjacent to the charged photosensitive surface and is transverse to the charged photosensitive surface relative to the direction of the relative movement. The cleaning blade has a blade edge chiseling or wiping the residual toner from the charged photosensitive surface during the doctoring mode or wiping mode, respectively. Thus, the residual toner and unwanted substances are removed from the surface prior to developing another latent image on the charged photosensitive surface.
The removed residual toner and unwanted substances which accumulate adjacent to the cleaning blade are transported away from the cleaning blade area by a toner transport arrangement or by gravitational force.
In printers which employing liquid developer materials comprising a liquid carrier material having toner particles disperse, it is desirable to remove cake of saturated toner particles off of photoreceptor belts and intermediate belts. Generally, methods consist of a hybrid cleaner wherein a steel blade with auxiliary fluid flush with dispersing agents therein from nozzles to remove agglomerated toner.
It would be highly desirable to have a cleaning system which would not employ dispersing agents thereby toner could be recycled through the printer without adding dispersing agents which might change the properties of the liquid developer.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for removing residual particles from an imaging surface, including: cleaning blade having an edge adapted to remove the residual particles from the imaging surface; a vibrating member, connected to said cleaning blade, for vibrating said cleaning blade at a predefine frequency to cause stress in contact points between individual residual particles which are in contact with imaging surface thereby improving releasing of residual particles from the imaging surface.